State Librarian's Report

May 20, 2002

This report is prepared bi-monthly in conjunction with the regular meetings of the Connecticut State Library Board. Items to be routinely covered include the following: the significant activities of the State Librarian and the staff, significant administrative decisions affecting the operation of the Library, status reports regarding in-progress activities, information regarding external events having an impact on the Library, media coverage of the Library, and information of general interest to the members of the Board.

May 20, 2002 meeting of the Board, covers the period of March 26, 2002, through May 19, 2002.

Legislative/Budget
On May 2, Dean Pagani, Governor Rowland 's Chief of Staff, issued a directive
requiring the approval of the Chief of Staff for any out of state travel by any state employees. This included trips already scheduled. Mr. Pagani also ordered a freeze on all agency hiring and all outside consultant contracts. The freeze on outside consultant services is currently being interpreted by the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) to mean all Personal Service Agreements PSA. We use PSAs for a wide range of services including the hiring of personnel to work on projects. The full impact of this directive is being analyzed.

As I write this report it appears that the Legislature will have to go into special session to deal with budgetary issues. Whatever budget emerges, it is clear that there will be reductions to agency budgets. The library materials (book) budget and the iCONN budget remain my major concerns. The library materials budget is already insufficient to meet the needs of the library and any further reductions will have long-term impacts on our collections. In actual dollars, the budget for library materials has declined over the past four years. If you account for inflation, the situation is even worse. This is a trend that has to be reversed in the next biennial budget.

Any reductions in iCONN funding will result in the cancellation of some of the existing database offerings. We have used the balance of the surplus funds available to us to renew our subscription to the Gale suite of databases. We are in the process of using the remaining funds to renew some of what we refer to as the Tier II databases. This program is proving extremely popular and is generating important savings for libraries of all types. In a special budget report in the January 2002 issue of Library Journal the Wallingford Public Library stated that the "library has saved thousands of dollars in electronic/web-based services thanks to the state-funded Connecticut Digital Library."

I have spent a considerable amount of time at the capitol advocating for library issues and responding to informational inquiries from lawmakers.

There have only been a few bills of interest to the State Library this session, besides the budget bills.

HB 5625 AN ACT CONCERNING THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF MILITARY DISCHARGE DOCUMENTS. The original intent of the bill was to establish procedures for the filing of military discharge documents with town clerks and to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of such documents. As introduced, the bill would have severely limited access to military records in the State Archives. Working with the co-chair of the Committee and the Freedom of Information Commission, we were able to amend the bill to address our issues. However when finally passed, the bill was further amended to include several other items including a provision under the Freedom of Information Act to all use of hand held scanners by individuals to scan public documents. The Office of the Public Records Administrator had opposed this practice. When a separate bill was heard earlier in the session regarding hand held scanners, we testified in opposition to it. While that bill did not progress, the essence of it reappeared as part of an amendment to HB 5625.

SB 561 AN ACT CONCERNING THE CONNECTICUT UNIFORM ELECTRONIC TRANSACTIONS ACT. This bill implements the recommendations of the Connecticut Law Revision Commission concerning the adoption of the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act in Connecticut. Similar legislation was introduced last session. At that time the State Library had issues with the bill regarding retention of electronic records. We had worked out language that was never introduced, but the bill failed and all was well. This year when SB 561 surfaced, we were prepared. Working with the introducer and the Department of Information Technology we were able to have the language in the bill changed to reflect our concerns over records retention. The bill has been passed by both houses with our language included.

Van Block Facility
The move of archival and library materials to the Van Block Facility has been completed. We are still in the process of moving museum objects. This was a very complex move. Through the hard work of staff in the Archives, Library, and Museum and the coordination efforts of Rich Kingston, Director of Administrative Services and his division, the move went very smoothly. All involved are to be congratulated for their hard work.

Lowell, MA
On March 26, I was part of a delegation of federal, state, and local officials and representatives of various Hartford cultural and heritage organizations that toured the Lowell National Historical Park. Congressman Larson organized the trip. Congressman Larson and other members of the Connecticut delegation are researching the prospects for some sort of national park in Hartford. We heard presentations by the Superintendent of the Park, the city's Mayor, the Superintendent of the Springfield Armory National Historic Site and others. We toured some of the buildings and the museum that are part of the Park. It was a very informative day. It has taken Lowell over 20 years to get to where they are today.

Connecticut History Online
I mentioned in my March report that the State Library was partnering with UConn, Mystic Seaport, the Connecticut Historical Society and the New Haven Colony Historical Society on a grant for phase II of Connecticut History Online. The grant was completed and submitted on time. Funding decisions will be made in the fall following peer review this spring and summer.

I researched and prepared a taxonomy for a young women's leadership website that is part of a joint project with CT Public Television. I also selected a variety of sites and annotated the listing for the sites.

I chaired the Bylaws Committee for NELINET and prepared some major revisions to the organization's bylaws for adoption at their annual meeting in May.

Information Services Division

Reference Services
New brochures describing the services of Government Information, History & Genealogy, Law/Legislative Reference, and the Archives have been published. They are available at each reference desk and the circulation desk for patrons, and will be distributed at various outreach activities, and in answers to mail reference inquiries.

The Law/Legislative Reference Unit has joined a virtual reference pilot project for an interactive electronic reference desk service. The pilot is managed by NELLCO (New England Law Library Consortium) for its member libraries. Training will take place this summer, and the project will go live for the fall semester.

Outreach - Presentations
Government Information Unit Head Julie Schwartz and Connecticut Documents Librarian Al Palko attended the Western States Documents Conference and the Government Information Locator Services Conference (GILS) in Phoenix, AZ from April 21-April 25. Mr. Palko gave a presentation on current practices in state documents management, and did a joint presentation with Ms. Schwartz on the Web Digital Document Archive, the OCLC project of which CSL is a member. Both were also on a panel to discuss the issues involved in electronic document archiving. Ms. Schwartz gave a presentation at the GILS conference on the plans for indexing the Connecticut state government portal. The portal is in the final stages of redesign and will be launched soon.

History & Genealogy Unit Head Dick Roberts gave a presentation on H&G resources to the Bristol Genealogy Club on April 8 and to the new Stafford Public Library on April 10.

History & Genealogy Office Assistant Kevin Johnson did William Webb presentations at the Wallingford Historical Society on the evening of March 20 and at Middlesex College on April 10. Mr. Johnson has developed a new Revolutionary War character presentation and debuted it for the Sons of the American Revolution in Torrington on April 14. Mr. Johnson's performances present the lesser-known role of African Americans in these conflicts, and are a great advertisement for the collections and services of the Library.

Information Services Division staff gave several presentations at the CLA Conference on April 16 and 17. Preservation Librarian Jane Cullinane spoke on preservation activities and services to libraries; Law/Legislative Unit Head Denise Jernigan spoke on 'little known treasures' of the Law Collection; History & Genealogy Unit Head Dick Roberts discussed Genealogy and History resources; Government Information Unit Head Julie Schwartz and Bibliographic Information Unit Head Stephen Slovasky spoke on the Web Digital Document Archive project, Bibliographic Information Librarian Claire Young demonstrated the Colibri book-covering system during the CSL Update session. Jane Cullinane also was part of a program on library binding. Collection Management Serials Librarian Carol Trinchitella gave a presentation on electronic journals. Dick Roberts was also part of a presentation on special collections in libraries in the state, again highlighting history and genealogical resources. Many other Division staff also helped staff the CSL booth in the exhibit area. The CSL exhibit won the 'Best Professional Organization Exhibitor' award.

LBPH Unit Head Carol Taylor Carol gave LBPH presentations to the long-term care and rehabilitation residents of the Masonic Geriatric Healthcare facility in Wallingford on April 17, to the BESB Senior Grant Program in Bloomfield on April 11, and to the BESB Senior Grant Program in Norwich on April 3 with LBPH volunteer Tom Grossi.

Carol Taylor taped a segment about LBPH and the Mystic Seaport passes for WTIC AM with Sam Gingerella. The program aired on Sunday, March 31. Ms. Taylor did a similar taping live on WMRD with Don Decesare on March 22.

Law/Legislative Reference Librarian Hilary Frye gave a presentation to the Professional Genealogy Council on judicial resources of interest to genealogists on May 2.

Visitors and tours
Government Information Reference Librarian Nancy Peluso hosted the Consortium of Rhode Island Academic and Research Libraries (CRIARL) meeting on April 10 here at the State Library.

Law/Legislative Reference Librarian Janis Lefkowitz, Archives Librarian Debra Pond and History & Genealogy Reference Librarian Carolyn Picciano gave a tour on April 18 for the Department of Public Works' "Bring your Children to Work Day". A scavenger hunt was also provided in the Museum.

Law/Legislative Reference staff conducted tours for Supreme Court visitors from a Criminal Justice class at Thames Valley Community College, and for a group of exchange students from France visiting the Supreme Court.

Law/Legislative Reference Librarian Janis Lefkowitz, History & Genealogy Reference Librarian Mel Smith, and Government Information Reference Librarian Nancy Peluso did presentations for a tour of the Greater New Haven Leadership Council on March 27.

Press mentions
An article about LBPH volunteer Marcia Baran and the BESB (Board of Education and Services to the Blind) Awards Ceremony appeared in the West Hartford News on April 4.

A column celebrating National Library Week in the April 16 Hartford Courant highlighted librarians, including Law and Legislative Reference Librarian Janis Lefkowitz.

An article about the Library's Law/Legislative Reference unit, written by Sheila Huddleston, appeared in the Law Tribune on April 22.

Collections
The Bibliographic Information Unit is cataloging, barcoding, and creating item records for newspapers that have been moved to the Van Block offsite storage facility. All Information Services Division collections at Van Block will be cataloged within the next three months. All Information Services collections and Archives collections stored there are now available to patrons. Retrieval procedures have been formulated, and are being tested.

The final moves necessary are the internal shifts to utilize the space vacated by the materials sent offsite, and to utilize compact microfilm storage planned for the Newspaper Room. These will take place over the summer months.

Library For the Blind and Physically Handicapped
On March 28, LBPH Unit Head Carol Taylor and her staff received the Raymond E. Baldwin Award from BESB for "Contributions to the Betterment and Enrichment of Persons who are Blind" in the Old Judiciary Room at the State Capitol. At the same ceremony, LBPH volunteer Marcia Baran received the Emily Welles Foster Award for outstanding accomplishments affecting the lives of people who are blind.

The National Library Service for the Blind program to supply free passes to Mystic Seaport for talking book patrons has been very successful. Carol Taylor and Tom Grossi visited Mystic Seaport on March 15 to review the accessibility for LBPH patrons using free passes.

The LBPH Advisory Committee held their quarterly meeting at LBPH on April 12.

Staff
Information Services Director Lynne Newell attended the annual Governor's Tourism Conference on April 11 and 12, with Executive Assistant Jane Beaudoin, Archivist Bruce Stark, Museum Curator David Corrigan, and CT Heritage Foundation Board member Fred Petersen. The State Library Image Committee (SLIC) created a display for the Conference' s Idea Center. This is the first time CSL had a display at this event.

Collection Management Unit Head Diane Pizzo attended the NELLCO Acquisitions and Collection Development meeting at Quinnipiac Law School on April 6.

Law/Legislative Reference Unit Head Denise Jernigan attended the spring SNELLA (Southern New England Law Librarians) meeting at Quinnipiac on March 22, the NELLCO Director's meeting on April 25, and the LLNE (Law Librarians of New England) Spring Meeting on April 26 in Concord, NH.

Preservation Librarian Jane Cullinane attended a workshop on Moving Special Collections on April 19 at Dartmouth College.

Carol Taylor, LBPH Library Specialist Gordon Reddick, and Library Technical Assistant Kathy Hotchkiss attended the National Conference of Librarians Serving the Blind and Physically Handicapped in Richmond, VA, on April 26- May 2.

Division Of Library Development
Connecticard payments totaling $676,028 were sent in April to 171 public libraries as reimbursement for 4,097,453 non-resident loans. A statistical report on the number of loans and payments to each library may be found online.

Public library grants were sent out in April to 162 libraries (two did not qualify) for a total of $447,109.

On April 5th, Mary Engels, Director of the Middletown Library Service Center (MLSC), Susan Cormier, Director of the Willimantic Library Service Center and Sheila Mosman, Grants Manager, presented two workshops on how to write a successful Library Service and Technology Grant Application which were due on May 3. Three members of the Division will review each of the thirty-nine applications received. Grant recommendations will be brought to the State Library Board in July.

The plans for the upgrade of equipment and software for the Middletown Library Service Center technology-training center have been completed. The equipment has been ordered and should be installed over the summer. Tom Newman, MLSC, has worked with Susan Cormier, Richard Kingston and a private consultant on the plans for all the agency's technology-training facilities. Willimantic Library Service Center's lab will be installed when room renovations are completed.

Mary Louise Jensen was the speaker for the Library Space Planning Guide workshops on March 27 and April 5 at the MLSC Training Lab, with a total attendance for both workshops of thirty-three.

A Libratect Seminar, sponsored by the Connecticut State Library and attended by twenty-seven architects, librarians, and library board members was held at the East Granby Library on April 4.

Public Library Construction Grant workshops conducted by Mary Louise Jensen and attended by fourteen architects, librarians, and library board members were held at MLSC on April 23 and May 1.

Mary Engels spoke with groups in Bridgeport and South Windham about starting Friends groups in their communities. Sharon Brettschneider spoke to the Bristol Library Board on April 1 and Bethel's Planning and Zoning on April 23. Ms Brettschneider also spoke at the Southern Connecticut Library Council Planning Day on April 23 concerning the status of the planning process with the Cooperating Library Service Units and the Division of Library Development.

The State Library and the Connecticut Library Association (CLA) presented Excellence in Public Library Service Awards to the Darien Library, Manchester Public Library, Guilford Library, Stratford Library Association and Thomaston Public Library at the CLA Annual Conference. Mary Engels, Mary Louise Jensen and Sharon Brettschneider serve on the awards committee. A program on the award winning projects was also presented at the CLA Conference.

As President of the Connecticut Library Association, Mary Engels presided over the 111th Annual Conference on April 15-17 in Cromwell. Gail Hurley, Statewide Database Coordinator for iCONN, was Assistant Co-Chair of the Conference. Ms. Hurley's main responsibility was to coordinate the volunteers.

Sharon Brettschneider spoke at the Conference on April 17. Ms. Brettschneider addressed the issue of confidentiality of library use records as part of a panel presentation on Libraries in Conflict: Service and Access responsibilities in the New World Order. The State Library cosponsored a program with the Association of Connecticut Library Boards, Mastering Practical Board Leadership on April 16.

iCONN staff exhibited iCONN at the CLA Conference.

Jane Emerson, iCONN, and Steve Cauffman, Interlibrary Loan Coordinator for iCONN, presented iCONN and reQuest, respectively, to members of the Connecticut Training & Development Network on April 9 at the Middletown Library Service Center. The meeting was coordinated by Bonnie Delaney.

Steve Cauffman and Gail Hurley gave three marketing presentations on reQuest for school library media specialists: at the LEARN program at Westbrook High School on March 22; at the Litchfield Hills School Librarians Roundtable held at the Sarah Noble Intermediate School on March 25; and at the Region 3 School Librarians Roundtable held at the Willimantic Library Service Center on April 23.

Steve Cauffman coordinated and hosted two reQuest Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Users Group meetings at the Middletown Library Service Center on April 25 and 26. Mr. Cauffman also demonstrated the reQuest Institutional Database at the WCLC ILL Roundtable Meeting at the Middletown Library Service Center on March 14.

On April 4, Steve Cauffman participated in an OCLC Policies Directory conference call. Mr. Cauffman also attended the training session, "OCLC ILL On the Web," sponsored by Western Connecticut Library Council at the Middletown Library Service Center on April 30.

Gail Hurley provided WebCAT training to Briarwood College on March 15 and to Morris Public Library on April 12. Ms Hurley also coordinated and attended the workshop, Cataloging with CatExpress, conducted by Mary Jo Boland of Nelinet at the Middletown Library Service Center on April 23.

Bill Sullivan, Administrator for iCONN, attended Consumer Health Information: Networking and Technology sponsored by the UCONN Health Center on April 30 at the Publick House in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. Mr. Sullivan also attended Open Linking Solutions sponsored by Nelinet at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester on April 22.

Gail Hurley attended Dublin Core: Issues and Applications at Nelinet on April 4 and Using Excel as a Database at the Middletown Library Service Center on April 8.

On April 13, a Conference On Collaboration was held at Southern Connecticut State University. Organized by two students from the SCSU library school, the conference addressed the issues of how teachers, school administrators, and media specialists can work together to better serve the educational needs of students. Mary Engels spoke about the State Library and Service Centers and the services that are offered to schools.

iCONN - Usage Statistics
There have been more than 3.5 million searches conducted in iCONN from July 2001 through March 2002. The breakdown on this total is: academic libraries (40%), school libraries (31%) and public libraries (29%).

Individual library and school statistics are available from all three of the iCONN vendors: The Gale Group, NewsBank (The Hartford Courant) and H.R. Wilson (Wilson Biographies Plus Illustrated). The individual library reports may be obtained by
following the instructions
online.

New iCONN Newspapers
Pursuant to the recommendations of the Connecticut Digital Library Advisory Board Database Selection Committee, coordinated by Sharon Brettschneider, the Los Angeles Times and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution were added to replace the Washington Post, which the Gale Group lost the rights to offer. An index to the Washington Post will continue to be available in General Reference Center Gold. The updated iCONN Newspaper Collection now includes the full text content of six titles:

Pursuant to a request by Jane Emerson, the Connecticut Nutmeg Awards list has been added to "What Do I Read Next", the iCONN readers' advisory database. Past winners of the award can be found by clicking on "Award Winners and Top Picks." Then select "Nutmeg Children's Book Award" from the list - right after the Nobel Prize for Literature. The database is updated twice a year and the 2002 winner, "Among the Hidden" by Margaret Peterson Haddix, will be added in the Fall update.

Health & Wellness Resource Center has been upgraded to include functional enhancements and new content from premier publishers including Physicians Desk Reference (PDR) and Harvard Special Health Reports. The PDR Family Guide to Prescription Drugs and the PDR Family Guide to Over-the Counter Drugs are just two of the new resources included in the upgrade. There are also 25 new reference sets from Harvard Special Health Reports and over 50 new periodicals from Thomson Healthcare. In addition, the Health News button will now include health and lifestyle sections from more than 30 newspapers from around the globe.

iCONN and Information Literacy
Bill Sullivan drafted a report on iCONN and Information Literacy for discussion at the May 2002 Connecticut Digital Library Advisory Board (CDLAB) meeting. The report proposes using real-time communications technology (initially, "live chat") and a staff of iCONN-savvy reference librarians to create a "live help" service for patrons. As proposed, the service would be accessible online and would focus on helping patrons become more proficient at using iCONN. No action was taken on the document at this time.

iCONN and Public Awareness
The CDLAB Public Awareness Committee, coordinated by Bill Sullivan, drafted a report that documented many avenues that could be pursued to increase public awareness of iCONN. Given current budget constraints, those avenues that have no cost impact are being explored. For example, United Illuminating has agreed to include information about iCONN in its June bill insert and we are discussing the same possibility with CL&P. Committee members include Anita Barney (WCLC), Cheryl Beturne (Enfield Public Library), Betty Goyette (State Department of Education, Alfred Hopkins, Jr. (ACES), Gail Hurley, Alana Meloni (C.H. Booth Library), and Jim Smith (Naugatuck Valley Community College).

Public Records Administration
On January 23, 2002, the Public Records Administrator attended the "Introductory Instructional workshop for New Town Clerks" on January 23, 2002 at the Legislative Office Building. The Office of the Secretary of the State sponsors this workshop. Eunice DiBella gave a presentation about records management issues relating to town clerks.

On February 5, 2002, Eunice DiBella and Representative Steve Fontana presented a check in the amount of $2,500 to Elinor C. Pedalino, North Haven Town Clerk at the North Haven Town Hall. Representative Fontana was instrumental in the passage of the legislation that established the Historic Preservation Grant Program.

On February 15, Ms. DiBella attended a meeting of the Town Clerk's Education Committee in Marlborough, to discuss the strategies for the future direction of the town clerks school. On March 13, Ms. DiBella spoke to the Public Purchasing Association of Connecticut in Middletown, regarding records retention. On March 20, Ms. DiBella attended the annual Freedom of Information Conference in Westbrook. On March 25 Ms. DiBella attended a meeting of the Connecticut Town Clerk's Certification Committee at the North Branford Town Hall.

Eunice DiBella and LeAnn Johnson attended two Town Clerk Association County Meetings; one in Naugatuck and one in Bethel, to review the grant process. On March 26, they attended the dinner meeting of the New Haven Town Clerk's Association in Naugatuck, and on April 15, Ms. DiBella and Ms. Johnson attended a lunch meeting of the Fairfield County Meeting in Bethel. On April 2, 2002, Ms. DiBella attended a dinner meeting of the Tolland County Town Clerks in Vernon.

On April 5, 2002, Eunice DiBella and LeAnn Johnson attended the annual meeting of the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) Advisory Committee in Andover, MA. Eunice gave a brief talk on the Preservation Grant Program.

On April 10, Eunice DiBella, LeAnn Johnson, and Donald Ballinger attended a seminar sponsored by the Association of Records Managers and Administrators entitled "Archiving Web Pages", held at the Holiday Inn in Cromwell. Seminar presenters were Julie Schwartz and Stephen Slovasky of the State Library Information Services Division.

On April 17, 2002, Eunice DiBella attended the Connecticut Library Association annual meeting and participated in a program entitled "State Library Confidential." Ms. DiBella spoke about local records and the history of the public records program in Connecticut.

On April 26, 2002, Ms. DiBella and LeAnn Johnson attended the Town Clerk's conference in Southbury, Connecticut. Preservation Librarian Jane Cullinane gave a presentation for the town clerks on microfilming records.

State Records Center
On February 1, 2002, Donald Ballinger joined the Public Records Administration staff as Supervisor of Records Services for State Agencies.

On March 3, 2002, Mr. Ballinger attended the monthly meeting of the Hartford/Springfield chapter of the Association of Records Managers and Administrators.

Much of the activity at the Records Center in early March was centered on preparation for the move of 2210 boxes of records that had been appraised for permanent retention to the State Library Van Block facility. LeAnn Johnson supervised the move. When the move was complete, Ms. Johnson relocated to the new Van Block facility on March 22, 2002. Ms. Johnson's current position is Public Records Grant Consultant for the Historic Preservation Grant Program.

Don Ballinger made on-site visits and attended meetings with the following state agencies: Attorney General, Human Rights and Opportunities, Revenue Services, Transportation, Economic and Community Development.

State Archives
The State Archives was involved in the largest move of archival materials in State Archives history. Over 22,000 linear feet of archival records were relocated to the State Library off-site storage facility at 75 Van Block Avenue in Hartford. Assistant State Archivist Bruce Stark served as project director. State Archivist Mark Jones supervised the archival portion of the activities at the Van Block facility as the records were moved in.

State Archivist Mark Jones attended the 25th Anniversary dinner and meeting of the University of Connecticut chapter of the American Association of University Professors on April 26, and spoke on the letter that officers in the Chapter wrote to Governor Lodge in 1951 opposing his suggestion that State employees be given a loyalty oath.

Assistant State Archivist Bruce Stark sold 52 copies of A Guide For Processing Manuscript Collections at $12 each for a total of $624 that has been placed in the special State Archives Preservation Fund. Mr. Stark also prepared and installed an exhibition in Memorial Hall, entitled "African American Records in the State Archives," scheduled to run from February to September, 2002.

Mr. Stark presented a paper at the New England Archivists, March 23, 2002, in Newport, RI, entitled " Getting It from Here to There: Strategies for Moving an Archives."

Mr. Stark attended a meeting of the Advisory Committee for Connecticut Colonial Records, April 1, 2002, at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, the Governor's Conference on Tourism, April. 11-12, in Groton, and a meeting of the Association for the Study of Connecticut History, April 27, in Lebanon. Mr. Stark also delivered an address on "Hadlyme at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century," April 13, 2002, at the Hadlyme North School.

Court Records Project Archivist Debra Pond, along with Carolyn Picciano of the History and Genealogy Unit gave a presentation to a group of Department of Public Works employees and their children on April 18. Ms. Pond discussed the early court records as a source for African-American genealogy and court cases involving children.

State Archives: O'Neill Project
Barbara Austen attended two board meetings of the Association for the Study of Connecticut History on January 26 and March 9.

On Saturday, March 16, Ms. Austen attended a workshop sponsored by the Society of American Archivists held in Tallahassee, Florida, on Encoded Archival Description.

Ms. Austen taught an all-day New England Archivists workshop, Introduction to Archives, to eighteen participants in Newport, RI, on Friday, March 22. Ms. Austen also attended the semi-annual meeting of the New England Archivists in Newport, RI on Saturday, March 23.

Barbara Austen visited Image Graphics of Shelton, CT, a vendor that markets advanced digitizing technology along with Public Records Administrator Eunice DiBella and Preservation Librarian Jane Cullinane on March 19 to explore the option of digitizing and microfilming archival and photographic collections.

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